CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Sheena
The stillness in the air became unbearably tense. Connor fidgeted with Tookar’s fur, running his fingers through the soft mane in a subconscious way to relieve his tension, ignoring the raised hackles on Tookar’s neck, standing prominent like a wire brush. A low growl rumbled from deep in Tookar’s throat. The quiet atmosphere mimicked the calm before a storm as Obi consulted the map.
‘Do you see this large chamber?’ He pointed to a room at the bottom of the stairs. ‘I believe this is where they are keeping Kia, so let’s go.’
With a quick press of the yellow button, the map immediately vanished. Obi placed it back inside his pocket. Further down the steep spiralling stairwell, Obi stopped no less than eight times before proceeding again. Connor hadn’t seen Obi so hesitant before. Something troubled him. He strained his ears to listen; yet heard nothing. Still they plodded on. Eventually, as they neared the end of the stairs to level five, Obi paused again, but this time he wasn’t happy to move onward.
‘Keep your wits about you,’ he whispered. ‘Prepare for battle.’
Wasn’t this a bit drastic? Connor heard nothing and had no idea what to expect. To make matters worse, Tookar halted.
‘They’re waiting,’ he growled. ‘They’re trying to trap us.’
Unexpectedly, a tremendous banging and crashing came from above and below them on the stairs. Obi growled, his magnificent sword poised ready to face the surge of bodies rushing up the stairs dressed in flimsy coats of armour.
‘They’re coming!’ he yelled.
Bromie swivelled on his heel to deal with the torrent of bodies charging towards him. In seconds, the rock dwellers came into view holding glistening daggers. Their noses wobbled in fury and their expressions were fierce. Thus the battle began.
Two accomplished giants with massive swords kept the enemy at bay. Although Obi had grumbled several times of the stairwell being too narrow, he found it to their advantage at this moment.
Connor remained rigid between Bromie and Obi. He’d wanted to help by using his powers to turn the rock dwellers into stone, but since Obi nor Bromie remained still enough for long, it produced a high risk of turning them into stone instead. Occasionally Bromie and Obi staggered backward knocking into Connor but they moved quickly forward before harming him.
The rock dwellers had been monitoring them during this time and knew they’d try to save Kia – for they had used her, to draw them closer. The bodies continued to storm the small party.
The deafening sounds of metal crashing against metal made Connor cringe. With ear-piercing screams the rock dwellers were stabbed and killed as the sword cut through them. Whatever calculated plan the rock dwellers had, it wasn’t working. The two giants overpowered them and remained victorious.
‘You little maggots, I’ll get you!’ Obi bellowed.
More rock dwellers replaced their dead comrades but were struck by one of the mighty swords in seconds. Bromie fought upwards in a more difficult position, but he dodged and dived the reach of his shorter-armed opponents. His lengthy sword and long muscular arms were a massive advantage. Although the rock dwellers dressed in preparation for a battle their feeble daggers did nothing more than scratch an itch for Bromie. Soon, the remaining gang of rock dwellers fled and the clanking ended. Although dead bodies occupied the stairwell, they shrivelled and vanished into dust.
‘Well done, brother,’ praised Bromie, replacing his sword.
‘Saves us from getting bored,’ smirked Obi.
Tookar brought their attention to something. ‘Did you notice their blank eyes?
They were under a spell of some kind.’
Connor shivered. If the rock dwellers were under a spell, could it be the same person they’d encounter on level five – Sheena. He hoped to be wrong. They encountered no further obstacles on their way, except for a massive block of stone barring the entrance to the large room.
‘This won’t stop us!’ roared Obi.
Suddenly, Tookar vanished beside Connor.
‘What the –?’ Connor flinched, when a small voice whispered in his ear.
‘Don’t worry – I’m invisible.’
Obi smashed the door into a heap of rubble and dust after five massive blows.
‘Connor, where’s Tookar?’ asked Bromie.
‘He’s invisible,’ explained Connor.
Relieved, Bromie followed his brother through a gap. Connor followed reluctantly, not wanting to be left.
The large room they entered had blazing candles burning on decorative candleholders embedded in the rock walls. A huge silver object was situated across the room in the gloom with a crumpled figure sprawled next to the spaceship. With no sign of Sheena, they grew warily. Obi grasped Connor’s top to prevent the boy from dashing to Kia,
‘Careful,’ warned Obi, searching the room for any sign of danger. ‘De-ma warned us of a trap, remember.’
Instead, Bromie moved forward, shortening his stride as he ambled towards Kia. Unexpectedly, he crashed into something and staggered backwards, managing not to fall. An invisible barrier prevented him from getting closer to Kia, holding him at bay. He thumped hard on the invisible wall, experiencing it quiver under his hammering fists.
‘It’s some kind of defence,’ he growled in annoyance.
‘Keep back!’ Obi swiped the transparent barrier with his sword, but to their horror the sword snapped clean in half. For a short time, the dumbfounded giant stared at his broken sword by his feet. In the past, he’d slashed through the strongest rock and metals – nothing had withstood his sword. ‘It must be some kind of magic, it has to be.’
‘It’s an invisible force field.’ Bromie stroked the smooth surface. ‘Touch it. It won’t harm you.’
As Connor touched it, a bizarre thing happened. Beyond the invisible barrier a loud, evil cackling erupted, echoing in the chamber. Connor jumped. In manifesting spirals of mist, a ghostly figure, eight feet tall, appeared from thin air and floated inches above the ground. As the mist thickened, the figure became more solid. A woman wearing a long black dress and a long cloak, which trailed along the ground, faced them with cold eyes, lined with thick, black eyeliner.
Her oval face had a sharp chin, with high angular cheekbones and mesmerising eyes. They penetrated into Connor’s mind whilst searching for his weakness. Her mind tried to invade his, pulling the loose cobwebs aside as if her fingers had entered his head. Without realising, Connor staring hopelessly into the black pools of her eyes.
Long wavy, black hair flowed to her waist and fluttered gently from a magical breeze. This attractive woman mesmerised Obi and Bromie too as they stared powerlessly. Connor surrendered to her soft voice, caught in the magic of her weaving, twisted spell.
Luckily, Tookar had kept his wits for her voice sounded hard and shrill with as much warmth as a frozen pond. Seeing his friends trapped in her spell, standing frozen in time, he knew he had to do something. He approached Connor first, knowing the Starstone could help the boy.
‘Connor!’ Tookar urged, whispering into his ears. ‘Stop looking at her. You must look away before it’s too late!’
Hypnotised by her power, Connor had no intention of listening to Tookar, until something squashed his face, putting pressure on it as if his head was jammed in lift doors and forcefully twisting it to the point where his eyes broke off contact. He panted, released from the spell. He wanted to kick himself for behaving so irrationally. But it made sense – Sheena. He remembered De-ma telling him of her powers to imprison a person with her eyes alone.
What had the woman done to him to make him so mindless, including Kia who may be seriously injured? Sheena shouldn’t be trusted. If he were meant to be under her spell, he’d still have to act, until he had a plan to outwit this witch. She’d fooled them with powers of enchantment and thanks to Tookar he’d escaped.
‘Now, whatever you do, avoid her gaze!’ Tookar warned him. ‘She’s working for Definastine and we can’
t afford to become his prisoners. For now pretend you are under her spell. Focus on an area a couple of inches below her eyes. It should help.’
‘Hello child.’ She tilted her head to one side, gazing at Connor. This time he avoided complete eye contact and focused on the gap between her eyes to make it more convincing. Despite the difficulty, he willed himself to do it. ‘So you are the child people speak of. You have the Starstone?’
‘Nod your head,’ whispered Tookar.
Connor nodded.
‘Excellent,’ she drawled. ‘The Starstone will make me more powerful than Definastine. He will become my servant, for I will control him. You must know by now he wants the Starstone for his own purpose. He wants to control the entire universe. But I will be happy controlling a planet of my own, similar to this one.’
So Sheena wanted to betray Definastine, as he’d betrayed Yamar. She tapped her long index finger to her lips, while thinking.
‘It would be so tempting to disappear with the Starstone, while Definastine is preoccupied with war. Imagine my name – Sheena the Sorcerer – doesn’t it sound delightful? And with this vehicle, I can take the girl and travel to another galaxy a million light years away. Yes, the girl will be useful for my plan to succeed. She will be my pilot. I need the Starstone.’
She waved her arms in a large circular motion and floated forward through the invisible barrier, which had now disappeared.
Connor sensed a movement behind Sheena and caught a glimpse of the tiara on her head when she had had been momentarily distracted. It had a black stone shining in its centre.
‘Connor!’ Kia called, rising from the ground. Sheena spun round. Kia awakening had taken her by surprise.
‘Oh, so the little pixie has woken, you must want me to put you back to sleep,’ snarled the woman, pointing her finger towards her, but shrieked when Kia vanished.
‘Anyone who picks a fight with my friends, picks a fight with me!’ called Kia’s. ‘Wake up, Connor!’
‘Fair enough.’ Sheena temporarily ignored Connor and floated in the air. ‘Your stupidity will be your death.’
A snigger came beside him but he continued to stare straight ahead, blank and emotionless like Obi. Since when did Kia learn the art of invisibility?
‘Connor!’ cried Kia.
‘They can’t hear you, dear,’ snarled Sheena, scanning the room. ‘No matter how hard you try to wake them, you will fail. I know it must be hard for you but they love me and will do anything for me!’ A heartless laugh erupted from her red lips. Connor shuddered.
‘They don’t!’ Kia screamed. ‘They’re under your spell!’
Connor knew he’d have to come up with a plan double quick.
‘Who are you?’ Kia spat ‘What do you want with us?’
‘Ah, my dear, so impatient – but no, you’re right of course, how rude of me not to introduce myself. My name is Sheena – personally chosen by Definastine to represent him, including his quest to capture the Starstone,’ she smirked. ‘I’m not playing his game any more. I deserve the Starstone for myself.’
‘Now that doesn’t surprise me, bog trotter,’ Kia murmured.
‘Pardon?’ Sheena snapped her lips, her cruel smile disappearing.
‘Where I come from we call a creature which dwells in the mud eating nothing but slimy insects – a bog trotter,’ Kia’s voice sounded from everywhere at once. Connor muffled his laughter when seeing Sheena’s reddened face. ‘It describes you perfectly!’
Connor bit his tongue. He hoped Kia had a plan for she played with fire and he didn’t want her fingers to get burnt. He grew worried. Kia had no chance fighting Sheena alone. But she wasn’t alone for Tookar was somewhere. But where exactly, Connor had no idea.
‘Anyway my dear, I’ve had enough amusement with you, you must die now!’ Sheena extended her arms into the air and screamed hysterically. Lightning crackled from her fingertips spilling into the room until a silvery spider web formed. She twisted about the room, frustrated.
A voltage ripped through Connor’s body. The lightning was loud and ferocious. He quivered, annoyed by his own weakness.
Sheena ignored Connor, much to his relief. ‘Where are you?’ she hissed, but received no reply. She grunted and snapped her fingers. Slowly the web of light came back towards her and formed itself into a ball of blinding light.
‘Daya Pickaro!’ she uttered.
Slowly the ball of light changed its shape, twisting and contorting into a hideous monster made entirely from light. It grew four times the size of Obi, with fangs and a mouth able to swallow a human in the blink of an eye.
‘Find the invisible girl,’ she ordered.
The beast roared, searching the room. Its thick long tail narrowly missed whipping Connor and his friends as it passed them. For something made entirely from light it stomped heavily, with every step vibrating through Connor’s legs, making him quiver. Shuffling on two massive legs, it swung its arms with amazing grace for a beast of such a size. But Connor knew without a doubt if the beast were to slam its fist hard on him, he’d disappear into the ground. Equipped with huge claws and massive fangs, it wasn’t a beast to pick a fight with.
After a thorough search and failing to locate the girl, the beast returned to its master.
‘Well?’ Sheena snarled. ‘Where is she!’
The beast roared, shaking its head.
‘Aaaahhh!’ Sheena snapped her fingers and the beast disappeared immediately.
Much to her annoyance Kia came close to her. ‘Don’t worry, I didn’t go anywhere.’
‘Grrr,’ sneered Sheena slyly, reminding Connor of a cat ready to eat its prey after it has finished playing with it. Her long index finger, appearing much longer due to her extended black fingernail, pointed to Obi. ‘Surrender or I’ll kill this ugly giant.’
‘No!’ Kia shouted.
‘You sound worried, my dear,’ Sheena grimaced.
‘Should I be? We could come to another agreement.’
‘If you surrender I’ll let your friends live,’ she whispered, but with an increasing tone screamed. ‘For when I have the Starstone, I shall dominate the entire Universe and mind control star-spirits so they succumb to me! Ha-Ha!’ Sheena straightened her posture and smoothed her hair.
Without warning, Kia appeared in mid-air and flew towards Sheena, who yawned. Sheena aimed her hands at Kia as she flew through the air, where black smoke shot from her palms, sending Kia reeling to the far wall, where she fell on to the ground unconscious.
Connor jumped, hoping Kia was okay. He wanted to rush to his friend’s aid but his feet wouldn’t budge. Sweat developed on his brow. Something had to be done before someone else got hurt – but what? And where was Tookar?
At the darkness moment, the comforting voice of the Starstone spoke to him telling him what to do
Take her tiara and crush the black stone. This will release her from Definastine’s grasp. Help set her free. If you break the stone, the power will be broken. Your thought is the deed.
Connor studied her tiara. In the centre of it the black stone was the size of a pea. What should he do? If Sheena was under Definastine’s power, why did she want to betray him? More questions befuddled him as he worked through the best plan of action.
Ignoring Obi, Sheena focussed on Connor once again.
‘Well, my little darling, come closer to me,’ she purred and beckoned Connor. ‘Come, let me study you.’
Connor moved closer to her, noticing her black painted lips and floating beaded necklace levitating an inch above her shoulders.
Landing on the ground, she stepped closer, taking her chance. As she approached, Connor snatched her tiara but two tentacles sprouted from two of the pearls in her necklace and held him in their grasp.
‘Ahh!’ he cried in pain as they tightened their grip.
‘What!’ Sheena screeched. ‘How can you resist me?’
Connor imagined her tiara floating off her head and exploding in the air. Whilst she wa
s preoccupied with Connor, she failed to notice the tiara rising from her head. By the time she became aware, she screamed.
‘No!’
She flew into the air trying to grasp it, but it flew faster than she could fly. Kia had gained consciousness and caught it.
‘Lost something?’ she smirked.
As she held the tiara, the black stone exploded into fragments so small they became invisible to the human eye.
‘NO!’ Sheena screamed, falling to the floor. ‘NOOO!’
Obi and Bromie slumped to the ground the same time as Sheena fell, groaning and clutching their heads. They were released from the spell and left confused. Slowly they scratched their heads in confusion.
Connor rushed to Kia and hugged her tight.
‘We did it!’ he grinned. ‘We destroyed her.’
But to his surprise Kia closed her eyes and transformed into Tookar.
‘Get off me,’ he grinned. ‘I fooled you, didn’t I? It was me.’
Connor opened his mouth wide in astonishment. ‘Where’s Kia?’
‘While Sheena talked to you, I hid Kia safely behind the spaceship and pretended to be her. The beast had been unable to find me because he’d been instructed to search for an invisible girl but I’d turned into an invisible man. It walked right past me.’
They rushed to the back of the spaceship as Kia stretched and yawned. Her body was covered in bruises but she was alive.
‘Where am I?’ She rubbed her aching limbs. ‘What happened? I can’t remember a thing.’
Grinning, Connor hugged her. ‘It’s good to see you’re okay.’
‘My ship!’ she cried.
‘What’s being going on?’ Obi staggered towards them.
‘Sheena wooed you,’ grinned Tookar. ‘She fluttered her eyelids and you drooled.’
‘I didn’t!’
‘You did! You must resist falling in love so easily, especially with one as evil as her.’ He pointed to Sheena.
Bromie approached her unconscious body and checked her pulse. ‘She’s not dead. What happened, Connor?’
‘I’m not sure. I destroyed the black stone in her tiara which had been controlling her.’
‘How did you know?’ Obi’s brow furrowed.
‘The Starstone told me.’ Connor felt embarrassed for admitting to hearing voices inside his head, as it wasn’t exactly a recipe for good mental health.
‘Huh?’ quizzed Tookar.
‘Definastine had taken control of Sheena and when I destroyed the stone, she was released from his power.’
Acknowledging the Starstone had helped Connor; they discussed their own experiences, explaining to Kia the lost children had been rescued. With so much to say in the little time they had, Kia was keen to leave to return home. After a few minutes comparing stories, their conversations stopped abruptly when a golden light began to shine in the room.
‘What?’ whispered Kia.
They watched in awe as the light lifted Sheena into the air, rotating her body. Unconscious, she moved gracefully, like a swan on a lake. To their amazement, she transformed. Her black hair changed to golden locks. Her face filled and radiated warmth. Her eyes opened wide, revealing golden pupils, and her lips became as bright as oranges. Her black gown sparkled with golden stars, spreading until the blackness had disappeared. She lowered to the ground once more and collapsed on her knees, utterly distraught and depleted as she held her face and sobbed.
Kia stepped forward. Tookar wanted to stop her, but she shrugged him off. ‘You poor thing,’ she murmured, sitting next to her. ‘You must be feeling terrible.’
She hugged the woman.
Sheena raised her head. ‘I’ve been rescued from a terrible fate. How can I ever thank you enough, especially when I almost killed you. Definastine has killed my people. He slaughtered my friends and family. I am alone now.’
‘No, you’re not.’ Kia’s wings fluttered gently.
‘Yes I am, dear child. I watched my entire race explode years ago – right in front of my eyes.’
Kia said, ‘You’re a Tria, aren’t you?’
‘Yes, but how did you know?’ Sheena wiped her eyes.
‘A Tria called the High Priestess Serena Iona, lives with us’ Kia explained. ‘She believed she was alone too.’
Sheena beamed. ‘I know her well, but how did she survive? I watched helplessly as Definastine destroyed our planet.’
‘She’d been travelling at the time and escaped. She’s made a life on our planet now but unfortunately she’s become ill.’
Sheena’s face clouded. ‘It’s because of me. When a tria turns to the dark side it upsets the natural energy we share. Serena Iona must have been under tremendous stress because of me.’
‘She knew you existed,’ Kia explained. ‘Well, not you exactly. But she knew another Tria must have survived for her to become so ill. I came searching for you – and my ship of course.’
‘When Definastine first tried to control me, I proved too powerful. Now I know why. Since he assumed I was the last survivor, it would have been easier to dominate me. But because Serena Iona still lived she subconsciously helped me oppose him. But he persevered and I weakened under the pressure. Poor Serena Iona was fighting the darkness I struggled against. She’s been ill because of me. I can’t wait to reunite with her again. She’ll be fine.’
‘So what now?’ asked Connor.
‘It’s time to go home!’ Kia smiled at Sheena. ‘And you’re coming with me.’